Category Archives: Hednesford

News – Hednesford Signal Box & Harper’s Buses

Hednesford’s No.1 signal box will be transformed into a classroom by college students.
The box was moved to Hednesford Park earlier this year and will be restored by construction students from South Staffordshire College before being put to use as a community hub.
The group, aged 16 to 19, will be painting, decorating, repairing and guttering the box as well as removing its windows and replacing them with wooden frames.
The work will be undertaken in partnership with Cannock Chase Council, the Friends of Hednesford Park and local residents.
The work is due to start in September and teacher David Dew will oversee the restoration.

Aston Manor Road Transport Museum (AMRTM)

For years they had been left to rot in an old barn hundreds of miles away, but now a pair of vintage buses manufactured in the Black Country have returned home to be restored to their former glory.
The coaches came off the production line at Guy Motors Ltd. factory in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton in 1959 and were bought by the Heath Hayes firm Harper Brothers to carry passengers on day trips to the coast. After eleven years of service they were sold to a scout group in Northern Ireland in 1971 and re-deployed to ship youngsters from their headquarters in Limerick to scout camps across the country.
Three years ago it emerged that the 52-seat coaches were stranded in a barn on the outskirts of Dublin in a dreadful condition, their once gleaming distinctive green and yellow paintwork peeled away and tarnished by rust, polished interiors now sullied and engines dead to the world.
But thanks to the generosity of their former owner and an un-named benefactor the buses are back on home soil, having arrived at the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum in Aldridge, after being loaded onto large flat-bed lorries and transported across the Irish Sea.

Three AMRTM Guy Arab LUF vehicles together at last. L to R, the former 1292RE, former 1291RE (ex-Harper’s 58/57, both Willowbrook Viking bodies), LJW336, the ex-Guy demonstrator with SARO body. Having got both the Harpers home, we’ll be appealing again for funds to allow the museum to start restoration of one, at least – and calling in past promises. Let’s see how popular our formal local operator really is!

Hednesford News

The Dedication of the third phase of the miners’ memorial in Hednesford takes place this Saturday, 26th April, at 2.00pm. The Service will be led by the Rt. Rev. Nigel McCulloch, KCVO.

A further 913 named bricks, remembering those who worked in the Cannock Chase coalfields, have been laid around the grass areas by the clock tower in the town centre and adjacent to the iconic Davy Lamp.

All those who have bought a brick have been invited to Saturday’s dedication, which is open to the general public. It is hoped that hundreds will turn up.

Rugeley Power Station Band will perform, while Cannock Chase Orpheus Male Choir will sing, among other things, the miners’ hymn ‘Take me Home’. Local man, lay preacher and past miner Jim Bullock will be taking part, as will Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Mr. Anthony Winterton.

Market Street will be closed to traffic from noon. Members of the Chase Arts in Public Spaces (Chaps) committee and Hednesford Lions Club will be acting as stewards and handing out Order of Service sheets, which families will be able to keep as a memento.

After the service, copies of the book ‘A Lasting Tribute’ will be on sale at £5.00 per copy, with inserts containing the names of all included in this latest phase. These will be sold from the large room at the rear of the Light Works arcade. Refreshments will also be available within the Light Works.

Hednesford Park News

Easter Treasure Hunt Tuesday 22nd April 2014

Please accept our SINCERE apologies for not updating the Easter Treasure Hunt Details for over the Easter Holidays.
Our bunnies and chicks are all bouncing about in anticipation for next weeks Easter Treasure Hunt.
TUESDAY 22nd at 11am – 1pm, which gives everyone chance to get round. Easter activities in the pavilion. See the bunny at the gates pictured for your treasure map and clues.

Published on Thursday 3rd April 2014
A GALLERY celebrating the mining heritage of Cannock Chase has opened its doors following a £150,000 transformation.
Mining Memories, at The Museum of Cannock Chase, provides a new, permanent coal mining gallery for the local community, allowing people to experience a ‘day in the life’ of a miner and explore features of the mines. Visitors can try out interactive displays including a crawl-through tunnel.
The project, which received a £97,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has also created an education package to make sure people of all ages get the maximum benefit from their experience at the museum.
Stuart Murray, Chief Executive of leisure and culture provider WLCT which manages the museum, said: “Mining Memories is a spectacular exhibition which brings the history of the Cannock Chase coalfield to life, providing a place for local people to go to reminisce and for young people in particular to learn about this important part of the district’s heritage. I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this project to fruition.”
Councillors were invited to visit the gallery earlier this week for a sneak preview of the gallery.
Councillor Christine Mitchell, Leader of Culture and Sport said: “The newly transformed gallery is a wonderful exhibition which captures the mining history of our District and brings it to life. I would encourage everyone to visit the Museum and find out about the District’s heritage.”
Reyahn King, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “Coal mining was the backbone of the local economy and now the stories of the miners and the communities it supported can be told, in an imaginative and engaging way, especially to the younger generation.”
A special event celebrating the opening of the new gallery is being planned for June 28.
The museum is open from Monday-Friday, 11am-4pm (last admission 3.30pm) until Good Friday. From Easter Saturday until the end of September it is open daily, 11am-5pm (last admission 4.30pm).

The Friends of Hednesford Park

Maypole Throne Making Course

Maypole practise Hednesford – 1945-1955

The Friends of Hednesford Park are reviving the Hednesford Maypole Event on Saturday 10th May. If you would like to take part in the Throne Making Course provided by ‘The Forest of Mercia’ in Hednesford Park at 10am THIS Saturday, 5th April, please ring 07896 239717 to book a place. All welcome, no restrictions.
We request you wear SENSIBLE clothes and bring a packed lunch. Refreshments will be provided.
Course at Hednesford Park Pavilion 10am – 3pm
We will be making the May King and Queen thrones for the event and also making Old Fashioned Games.

Greenwood Craft

The Forest of Mercia are coming to Hednesford Park to show us to how to make the Maypole Thrones for our Maypole Event.
Saturday 5th April 10am – 3pm at Hednesford Park Pavilion.
ALL WELCOME, NO restrictions, please wear sensible clothes and bring a packed lunch. Refreshments supplied!

Hednesford Signal Box News

Progress Updates

SIGNAL BOX - Network Rail have advised that the relocation of the signal box will take place this coming Sunday 16th Feb. (Strong winds permitting)

The lifting operation will take place from approximateley 7am when the box will be lifted from its brick base and over the railway lines onto a trailer located at the rear of the new supermarket development. After securing the signal box to the trailer and derigging the crane both vehicles will then drive along Victoria Street and Rugeley Road to enter the car park adjacent to the tennis courts.

The crane will reverse down to the pavilion followed by the trailer and after setting up the crane the signal box will be lifted over the pavilion into its new location. The offloading should start around midday dependant on progress of the first part of the operation.

The Rugeley Road car park will be closed most of the Sunday until the relocation has been completed and the crane and lorry have left site.

Walsall-Rugeley Chase Line Electrification

The Council have been pushing for this important transport scheme for many years, which will transform CannockChaseDistrict. As well as making the District more attractive for inward investment and job creation it will lead to more frequent, faster, quieter rail services from Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley to Walsall and Birmingham. It will also help make the case to restore direct services to Stafford and potentially beyond to the North West and south to London.

Construction works are due to commence in November, with major bridge rebuilding at Station Road, Hednesford and on the access to the Chase Enterprise Centre.

Network Rail will produce information material for the project which will include fact sheets covering the following:

Network Rail will also produce posters for display at Stations along the route; they also intend to distribute invitation letters to residents etc. in the vicinity of the initial bridge re-constructions.

Councillor Gordon Alcott, Economic Development and Planning Portfolio Leader said, “Electrification of the Chase Line will see the biggest improvement to passenger services since the line was reopened in 1989. The rail service attracted an additional 100,000 passengers within the District in 2011/2 alone, with a total number of 700,000 per annum. This is the first electrification scheme in the West Midlands since the Cross City line to Lichfield was electrified 20 years ago and as well as benefiting passengers with faster, quieter, more frequent services, is set to make the District more attractive for investment. Whenever a railway line is electrified, the ‘sparks effect’ that follows always leads to a substantial increase in passenger numbers as well as economic benefits to an area.

Note: The Chase Line electrification project was announced by the Government in July 2012. Work will start in November 2013 and completion is planned for December 2017. The £30m project will involve electrifying the 15 mile, strategic missing link in the West Midlands electrified network between Walsall and Rugeley.

Hednesford News

Cannock Chase District Council unveiled the new tennis courts at HednesfordPark as part of a £3.1M Heritage Lottery Fund project yesterday.

Representatives from Cannock Chase District Council, Staffordshire Environmental Fund and Friends of Hednesford Park officially opened the brand new tennis courts at HednesfordPark, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday 25th September.

This is the first phase of the project part funded by Staffordshire Environmental Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund which has seen the five adult tennis courts being replaced with four adult tennis court and four junior courts all on one level with a new drainage system and new fencing with gates to allow access for all.

Cannock Chase District Council recently obtained £3.1M of Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of the improvements to HednesfordPark and War Memorial. The full project will take several years to complete.

Councillor Christine Mitchell, Culture and Sport Portfolio Leader said “I am really pleased with the work that has taken place on the new tennis courts, they look fantastic. This is a great start to a really exciting project for HednesfordPark.

I hope this investment will help inspire the next generation of tennis stars and give this District the next Andy Murray.”

Councillor Alan Dudson said “I am delighted to officially open the new tennis courts at HednesfordPark; this is a great facility for residents and just the start of a bigger project.”

John Dutton, Chief Executive of Staffordshire Environment Fund said “We are happy to be involved in the project and hope this new facility will encourage young people and the community to take up tennis.”

Hednesford Town FC continued their table-topping form today (5th October) with a 4-1 victory over Gloucester City at Keys Park.

A series of photographs following the building of Tesco’s new store in Hednesford. The first 3 photos show part of the site before building work started, The bus station photo was by ‘walsall1955′. The next 2 show the site after it was cleared, taken from Hednesford Hills. The remaining photos show various stages in the construction, some taken from Hednesford Hills and some from across Hednesford Park. The final pictures show the completed Tesco store and the new Aquarius building